


Face in the Mirror

by whiteraven1606



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bodyswap, First Time, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:32:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Steve swap bodies during a battle with Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Face in the Mirror

**Author's Note:**

  * For [51stCenturyFox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/51stCenturyFox/gifts).



****

Steve threw his shield to bounce it off one of Loki's minions as Tony aimed his repulsers at the glowing magic thing Thor had said they needed to disable before Loki could get it charged up. "Iron Man..."

Tony didn't pay any attention as he fired both repulsers.

Steve caught his shield just fast enough to turn part of the feedback from Tony's blast away. He heard Clint say something over the comm as Steve went flying because the magic device blew up.

****

Tony rolled over and frowned because he didn't usually have anything cradling his head as tight as it felt right now. Maybe his helmet had gotten...that wasn't right. Tony blinked and stared at the red gloves on his hands. Gloves, not metal. Not his gloves. They were Steve's gloves. "Uh..."

To his left there was a whir that was louder than Tony thought his armor ever actually sounded.

Tony turned his head and stared at _his_ armor moving slowly.

"Iron Man?" The suit's voice was right, his voice, but the inflection was all wrong.

The armor started beeping.

"Oh, shit." Tony crawled over and pulled his armor into a sitting position. "J? JARVIS, I'm not highjacked."

The armor continued to beep.

"Tony?"

"Yeah, yeah. I think we've swapped bodies. Just stay still for a minute."

The armor twitched. "I-I can't...breathe."

"Shit." Tony patted the side of the helmet. "Steve, you need to tell JARVIS..." The armor started to beep faster. "...Okay, no time." Tony turned and one part of his mind marveled at how easily Steve's body moved. "HULK!"

Hulk bounded over and landed near them. He frowned and took a deep breath through his nose. "Starman not smell right."

Tony grimaced. "Yeah...Okay, I'm Tony in Steve's body."

Clint's voice came through Tony's right ear. "What?"

"Not now, Clint. I'm trying to get Hulk to tell JARVIS not to fry Steve in my body."

"Fry?" Steve's breathing grew more ragged.

"No worries." Tony patted the armor on the side of the helmet again. He turned his head towards the Hulk. "Do I sound like Starman to you?"

Hulk snorted. "Sound like Tony-inside playing Starman's voice."

"Right. Now tell JARVIS that."

Hulk poked the armor in the chest. "Voice, Starman sound like Tony-inside. Metalhead not have Tony-inside in shell."

Natasha appeared at Tony's side. "Why are you trying to get Hulk to tell JARVIS and not someone else?"

Tony held up a finger. "Steve, tell JARVIS who you are."

"JARVIS, I'm in Tony's body, but I'm Steve Rogers."

The armor stopped beeping.

Tony sighed. "Good, J. Thanks. Steve, twitch your left middle finger down while you twitch you right first finger up, but don't move any other fingers while you do it."

The faceplate flipped open and Tony's face looked all sorts of wrong to him. Steve wasn't controlling his breathing well so he was redder than normal for Tony.

Hulk pushed in close and peered at Steve in Tony's body. "Starman okay?"

Steve shook his head a little. "Not really. Tony is there a way to retract the armor? I...I need out, please."

Tony nodded. "Uh, yeah, but I don't think you can focus well enough to give the mental command."

"Mental?" Natasha poked Tony in the shoulder and Tony mentally grinned when it didn't hurt like normal. "You never said you've connected to it mentally."

Tony shrugged and looked around. He felt like he was missing something. He spotted Steve's shield, well, his shield right now, and picked it up. Tony nearly knocked himself in the chin with it because it was much lighter than he'd anticipated. "You didn't ask."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Get him out of it, Stark."

Tony nodded. "Okay. Clint, get down here."

Hulk shifted on his feet while they waited. "Need Banner?"

Tony shook his head. "No, no. You put your thumb right here." Tony pointed at one of the shoulder plates. Then he pulled his glove off and pressed his tumb to a certain leg plate. "Natasha, right thumb on the left inner forearm panel."

Clint jogged up and knelt down next to them. "Where do you want me?"

Tony pointed with his free hand at one of the abdominal plates. "Left thumb on that plate."

"Okay." Clint put his thumb on the plate and after several seconds the armor hissed and started moving.

"Everyone let go." Tony felt Thor come up behind them. "I set it so we didn't have to have you because you aren't always on the planet."

"That is most wise." Thor sighed as he helped Steve out of the moving armor. "Loki is insisting his magic has affected you and the good Captain."

Tony stood up as Thor steadied Steve. "You can tell I'm in Steve's body?"

Thor glanced over at him. "You sound like yourself even in Steven's voice, Anthony."

"Uh." He narrowed his eyes at Thor. "I've told you before, no Anthony. Just call me Tony."

Thor smiled wide and clapped Tony on the shoulder, nearly sending him to his knees. "Aye, I remember." He looked down at Steve in concern. "You do not appear well, Steven."

Steve waved one of his hands at them. "Just...I forgot...what asthma felt like."

Tony frowned. "I don't have asthma."

Steve tapped Tony's arc reactor. "Feels sort of like it."

"Oh, that." Tony patted Hulk's hand as he started to growl. "No one to smash about it, Big Guy."

Hulk huffed and dropped to sit on the ground. "Fix wrong smell?"

Natasha poked Tony in the arm again. "What is he talking about?"

Tony elbowed her and then grabbed at her when she almost fell over sideways. "Shit. Sorry."

She grimaced as he hastily let go over her arm. "Not a problem, Stark. Just tell us what Hulk means."

Tony pointed at Steve. "We're switched and I think Hulk can smell a difference on us because of it."

Hulk looked over his shoulder towards where Loki was pinned down by Mjolnir. "Smash Puny God so he fix it?"

"Uhm. Nice thought, but no thank you, Hulk." Tony cocked his head as he realized he could see far more sharply than normal. "You know, I think I do have an astigmatism."

Steve shook his head as he ran held his hand over the arc reactor in his chest. "I just..see...more."

Tony ignored that because it didn't make any sense to him. "Just work on breathing. I don't need you passing out and breaking my nose or something."

Steve leaned on Clint's arm as he glared at Tony. "Be careful with...my body. Faster and stronger aren't always...useful."

Tony turned and poked at the armor where it had folded into itself. "I promise not to break your body."

****

Steve could feel Tony's body's muscles finally start to relax now that he wasn't confined in the armor. Why it had reminded him so strongly of when they were chipping him out of the ice, Steve didn't know, but he definitely wouldn't be able to fight in the suit given his reaction on top of the breathing issue.

He wanted to ask Tony how he managed with the arc reactor weighing him down and making it feel like he had a tank parked on his chest. He didn't because he knew better. Getting Tony mad while he was in Steve's body was a horrible idea.

Getting them back to the Tower took a while because SHIELD wanted both Tony and him to stay under the watchful eyes of the medical staff. Steve, for once, was in agreement with Tony that they not stay a moment longer than necessary.

Steve didn't like having to deal with the medical staff for even normal checkups, but having them giggle whenever either of them did the least little thing was beyond annoying. Watching Tony work his phone with Steve's body's thumbs while they waited made Steve irrationally angry as well.

Flexing his fingers, Steve noted all the places in Tony's body that ached in a way that seemed usual for the body Steve was stuck in.

****

Tony didn't mind the body switch right up until he ran nose first into his closed workshop door. "J! Let me in."

"Sir, everything is biometrically keyed to your...correct body. You would not be able to work on any projects as you are currently."

Tony resisted the urge to punch something because he knew it'd just result in a hole in whatever he punched. Instead, Tony went up the stairs to find something to eat. He was hungry again.

****

Bruce frowned at Natasha. "They are...not going to take this well."

"No, not at all." Natasha sat down across from him. "Doc, do you know why Tony had Hulk talking to JARVIS instead of someone else?"

"Oh." Bruce rubbed the back of his head. "JARVIS has a trust protocol for when he can't trust Tony. He'd need two people that aren't Tony telling him whatever fact and Tony told me I rank higher than...everyone."

"They sound like themselves just with the wrong pitch."

Bruce nodded. "So, Tony suddenly sounds wrong and is having a panic attack, Steve starts spouting off like he's Tony. It is a wonder JARVIS listened to any of us."

"Hmm." Natasha took a sip of her tea. "You alright?"

Blinking, Bruce pushed his glasses up to rub at the bridge of his nose. "Uhm, no? My maybe boyfriend is suddenly in my best friend's body. It is very disconcerting."

"Maybe?"

Bruce shrugged. "We haven't gotten much further than staring into each other's eyes."

"Ah." Natasha took another sip of her tea. "Don't disappear on either of them, just because it's weird."

"If I did I think the Other Guy would just drag us back home."

****

Steve quickly threw an arm over his eyes as Tony commanded the lights on. "Go away."

"Wow, two days as me and you've really gotten the I-hate-the-world grumble down."

"What do you want, Tony?"

The bed dipped as Tony sat down next to Steve's hip. "Bright light can make me sneeze and I really don't want a photo of that happening, just so you know."

Steve rubbed at the edge of the arc reactor. "Tony."

"Right. Okay, grumpy-pants. I thought you might want some tips on how to make that headache you've got to go away."

Steve peeked out from under his arm to see himself doing one of Tony's earnest, believe me, but don't mention it, ever, expressions. "I drank some coffee because I thought it was a caffeine headache."

"Didn't touch it, right?"

"Right."

Tony nodded and then glared at the one big strand of hair that always found its way into Steve's face. "How do you deal with hair this long? I want to cut it off."

Steve moved his arm down to stare at Tony. "We agreed, Tony."

Tony waved his hand. "No, I know. I just...It drives me crazy. Flop, push, flop, push..."

"Tony, you said you were going to tell me how to get rid of my headache."

Derailed, Tony stopped and rubbed his fingers through his hair. "Yeah. You need to drink some hard liquor."

Steve blinked. "I...what?"

"You know, booze, scotch, hell, even some of Thor's mead." Tony squinted. "Well, no to the mead, let's not kill my body."

Steve pushed himself upright and then lay back down as his chest started to hurt more. "Do you always hurt this much?"

"Do you never hurt at all?" Tony put a glass in his hand. "Just one should take the edge off, Cap."

Steve found himself feeling happy that Tony felt good enough to use his nickname for Steve. "You know my body looks weird from the outside."

"That's just because you aren't seeing your face in a mirror."

"What?" Steve leaned up just enough to drink and then he smacked his lips at the way Tony's taste buds liked the full body of the liquor.

"You know how most people hate themselves in pictures?"

Steve lay back as the headache started to ease. "Like Bruce."

"Right, well, sort of. Close enough. Like Bruce. So, here is the thing, if you flipped his picture so it looked like it looks to him in the mirror he'd say that was him and all his friends would be creeped out and say it doesn't look right."

"Oh." Steve held the empty glass up until Tony took it. "What they see more often they like better."

"Exactly." Tony pushed another glass into Steve's hand. "Drink just one more."

****

Steve flopped down next to Bruce. "He got me drunk."

Bruce smiled slightly as he looked at Steve over the tops of his glasses. "Did he ravish you too?"

"What? No." Steve blinked. "Oh, you're teasing me."

"A little." Bruce nudged Steve's shoulder. "You know how much he drinks, Steve."

"I guess I just didn't realize how much I didn't see of his drinking." Steve leaned against Bruce's side. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Being stuck in the wrong body and making this..." He waved his hand between them. "...suddenly very awkward."

"Well, to be honest, I'm always awkward."

Steve smiled. "Not always." He closed his eyes. "I'm not used to wanting to sleep so much."

"Part of that might be because Tony tries to sleep very little."

"He has nightmares." Steve let himself relax more. "I hope he doesn't put too many holes in things trying to work out my body's strength level."

Bruce hummed at that and gently shifted them so Steve would be more comfortable as he slept.

****

The day the magic wore off, Bruce cornered Tony in his workshop. Which wasn't all that hard given that Tony could work on his projects again without having to make Steve type for him.

"Steve will never ask you, but I want to win Clint's bet. Did you masterbate while you were in his body?"

Tony ducked his head slightly. "No. I felt vaguely guilty when I tried." He turned his head towards Bruce. "Do you feel like you are soiling something pure when you two get it on?"

Bruce snorted. "I'm not going to give you details."

Tony followed Bruce towards the stairs. "Wait, does this mean you guys did it while he was in my body?"

Bruce didn't answer until he started up the stairs. "A gentlemen doesn't kiss and tell."

Tony threw his arm around Bruce's shoulders. "I'll just ask Steve. The redness of his blush will give it away."

Bruce laughed so hard he nearly fell down the stairs.

****


End file.
